German Foreign Minister Brings Ukraine Diplomacy to the Vatican
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul is expected to put Russia’s war in Ukraine at the center of a day of diplomacy at the Vatican on Friday, meeting senior Holy See officials as international efforts to open a path to negotiations remain stalled.
Wadephul is scheduled to begin with representatives of the Catholic charity Sant’Egidio, a Rome-based group with long experience in conflict mediation. He will then be received by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s second-highest-ranking official, and later meet Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See’s secretary for relations with states and its de facto foreign minister.
For Wadephul, a Protestant and practicing Christian, the visit carries both diplomatic and symbolic weight. Germany has been one of Ukraine’s most important military and financial backers, while the Vatican has sought to keep channels to Moscow open even as it condemns Russia’s invasion.
Russia’s war against Ukraine, now in its fifth year, is expected to be a key topic. Pope Leo XIV recently called for renewed international efforts to bring about negotiations to end the war, urging the leaders of Russia, Ukraine and other countries to sit down together.
Gallagher made a similar appeal for “genuine negotiations” with international support during a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow at the end of August.
The Vatican has condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine while seeking to maintain dialogue with Moscow, a balancing act that has drawn both praise and criticism. Its contacts with Russian officials have not produced a breakthrough, and the Holy See’s outreach has sometimes raised questions about whether it gives the Kremlin too much diplomatic space.
Wadephul met Lavrov on the sidelines of the United Nations in New York just under a week ago, but those talks produced no tangible results. His Vatican stop is likely to be watched for signs that the Holy See can help keep diplomatic channels alive at a time when broader peace efforts remain fragile.
Later on Friday, Wadephul is due to travel to Slovenia, where he will meet Foreign Minister Tone Kajzer and conservative Prime Minister Janez Janša in Ljubljana. He is then scheduled to attend celebrations marking German Unity Day on October 3.